1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card edge connector, and particularly to a card edge connector having retaining means for retaining an inserted daughter board in position.
2. Description of Prior Art
To meet the ever-increasing requirements of expanding computer memory, a card edge connector is commonly used to interconnect an inserted daughter board with a mother board on which the connector is mounted. In the prior art, an auxiliary retainer is commonly provided for retaining the daughter board in the card edge connector thereby insuring a reliable connection therebetween.
A currently used conventional retainer typically comprises a U-shaped body for receiving a card edge connector, and a pair of vertical recessed arms for retaining edges of an inserted daughter board. Such a retainer is mounted to a mother board, using means such as bolts and nuts. Pertinent devices are disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 86215468 and 86219634. The assembly process of such a design is tedious and time-consuming. In addition, an auxiliary tool must be used during assembly and disassembly of the retainer, which is inconvenient. Furthermore, such a design compromises the integrity of the mother board due to the provision of holes therein for extension of the bolts and nuts. Too many components are also required thereby complicating shipping and handling.
Taiwan Patent Application No. 82205007 discloses another conventional retainer. As shown in FIG. 8, the retainer consists of a clasping member 40 and a separate vertical member 44 for respectively preventing upward and lateral movements of a daughter board 46 inserted into a card edge connector 47. The clasping member 40 comprises opposite first and second clasping ends 41 and 42, and a resilient portion 43 formed between the clasping ends 41 and 42. The first clasping end 41 has an engaging hook 410 attached to the bottom of the connector 47 by double-face adhesive tape. The second clasping end 42 has a clasp 420 for clasping an upper edge of the daughter board 46. The vertical member 44 is provided on an inner surface of a computer enclosure 45 and comprises two parallel strips for sandwiching a longitudinal edge of the daughter board 46. This arrangement requires two components, i.e., the clasping member 40 and the vertical member 44, to retain the daughter board 46 in position, thereby complicating manufacturing and increasing material waste, which results in high costs. In addition, it is difficult to attach the vertical member 44 to the inner surface of the computer enclosure 45.
The present invention is directed at solving the aforesaid problems by providing a card edge connector which can retain an inserted daughter board in position without the need of an auxiliary retainer thereby reducing manufacturing costs and the number of components.